05 April 2010

Our days spent at the pub are a little different than one might expect... we spend about 5 hours doing a lot of chatting, a lot of sewing, a lot of lunching, a lot of drinking, even a little betting (only on my nephew not on the horses-well he was riding horses I guess) but no alcohol or cigarette touches our lips!We're a weird mob that's for sure.

Picture this....

Three SCQuilters arrive at the Blue Gum car park right on 10am but the Gate is still locked, no worries we’ll walk around to the main entrance... but as we approach the Bottle Shop the three blokes unloading bottles look up and say... ‘Sorry the pub isn’t open till 11 today.’ Stunned silence from three SCQuilters! Then the Licensee recognizes us and says...’Oh you’re the Quilters, you can come in, just follow me.’

So through the small and cramped Bottle Shop we go, in single file we follow the Licensee into the dark dungeons of the pub past large kegs and pipes of all sizes, up steep metal stairs with the Licensee picking up rubbish as we go and we enter the Pub near the kitchens.

‘There you go’ says he, ‘Make yourselves at home, I don’t know how to work the coffee machine so you will have to wait till someone who does turns up.’

So off we go to our bright sunny room and organize our tables while the Licensee heads for the front entrance and waits for more SCQuilters to arrive welcoming each one with a cheery... ‘Oh you’re a Quilter you can come in!’

Penny has started quilting around the border of this beautiful quilt... some day soon we will be able to see the whole quilt.Pennie's 1/2 inch hexagons keep going round and round, I started this quilt about this time in 2005, every now and then it bores me but then I pick it up and keep going.Marilyn's triangles made with Aboriginal fabrics.This is the back of Marilyn's Bonnie K Hunter - Carolina Christmas.Marilyn made her Carolina Christmas using Christmas fabrics, she made it smaller than Bonnie's usual size.

Lissa managed to get away from her children and home to make the long trek to the Blue Gum, here is her little doll bag.Lissa's 'Leaders and Enders' quilt.Jean was finishing the binding on her grandson's quilt made from a black and white jelly roll that we showed last month.Irene L's quilt for a friends Grandson.Gillian was taunting some of us yesterday... a small SCQ group called the Ku-ring-gai's do a challenge each year, this year it was Gillian's turn to choose the challenge, she gave each of us a fat quarter of that multi square patterned fabric in the centre of her handwork... then proceeded to sew right in front of 5 of us doing the same challenge. I have to admit to bringing some of my challenge along and showing it to some of those NOT doing the challenge :-)

Irene B's Handwork in coming along nicely.Heather's Handwork, another fascinating fussy cut block.Erica whipped up this little quilt using a few scraps... very cute isn't it.Erica's Handwork for the Sydney Quilt Show.Di's Handwork, I love these swirly blocks and cant' wait to see them together.

Cath won Show and Tell today... not that there's a competition :-) This top is made from some samples Cath had.Another top from Cath.Yet another...This is Cath's first go at quilting on her new long arm machine.

Welcome to the Sydney SCQuilters Blog.

On the First Saturday of each month Southern Cross Quilters, (SCQuilters) from all over Sydney and Australia and the World, if they are in town, meet at the 'Blue Gum Hotel'in Waitara in the northern suburbs of Sydney.

On the Third Saturday of each month we meet at the 'Hotel Pennant Hills', also north of the City of Sydney, right next to Pennant Hills Station and the Patchwork shop 'Craft Depot'.

We have our own comfortable room so we sit, chat, sew, show and tell and buy our coffee, drinks and lunch from the Bar and Bistro.10am to about 3:30pm.

Everyone goes home happy and just that little bit inspired.Come along if you are in town, we'd love to meet you and see your work.

This Blog is run by Pennie Griffiths with a little help from Glynis Thompson.